Tom Hooper says that he really wanted to challenge himself as a director after the success of The King's Speech.
The movie won Hooper a Best Director and a Best Picture Oscar and this week he returns with Les Misérables - his first film since that success.
And Hooper admits that he did not want to tackle a similar project and that was why he took on the big screen musical.
Speaking to the Press Association the actor said: "After finishing The King's Speech I really wanted to do something very different and to challenge myself.
"I was fortunate enough to have some success and I wanted to use that to take a risk, rather than to try to do the same thing again, or be conservative. And what could be more risky than a movie musical?"
Hooper has brought together a mouthwatering cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried.
The film will battle it out at the Golden Globes at the weekend and is expected to be a major contender for Oscars when the nominations are announced later this week.
Tagged in Les Miserables Tom Hooper